Lexi Hoodie Sew Along - Tips Week 2

Hi peeps how’s the cutting out of your squares going? This week in the video I’m talking a bit about the half square triangles, as some of you have had some issues piecing them! Also about laying out and sewing the rows together.

This week I’m also going to talk about the quilting and how I did it. You may or may not choose to quilt your hoodie - it’s not compulsory, but there are some good reasons for it.

The designer of the hoodie, Melly, is also running a sew along on her Facebook page, so I am trying to include things that are different to what she is saying so that we don’t just say all the same things.

If your pattern has not yet arrived in the mail please let me know sarah@sarahfielke.com and I will get you started on cutting out. There’s a lot of cutting out to be done before you can start sewing so you will be busy I promise!

Assembly of Panels

Once you have cut everything out, it’s time to start sewing things together.

The pattern obviously gives you the layout of the stars and squares for each panel for each size, and for each different shape - sleeves, hood etc. Before you start sewing your squares and triangles together double check that you’re using the correct layout grid for your size, it will save you a lot of unpicking!

I found it very useful to use a design wall for this next step. If you don’t have one, pin a piece of your interfacing to a curtain, or lay it out on a table, so that you can put all the squares and triangles out for each pattern and make sure you don’t have any double ups of fabrics, and that everything looks nice and balanced. Once I had done that, I picked each row up in order from left to right into a stack, and numbered the top squares - 1, 2, 3, etc through the rows, so that I could then take the stacks to the sewing machine and piece them into strips.

There are a few options here. I pieced each panel into rows, and then sewed the rows together, as I think the patchwork is neater that way - stitch one row, press the seams to the right, stitch the next and press the seams to the left so that they next neatly when you sew the rows together. It is 100% fine to sew the stars and then sew the squares together around the star, or to piece vertically instead of horizontally if you prefer that.

I like to use a foam core design board for projects like this. I had one for each panel in this project, a back, a front, two sleeves, two hoods and the strip up the centre. I picked everything up into the numbered stacks, and put the stacks out in order on each board, so that I could then pick a board up and sew the rows and not be confused. If you would like to know how I make the boards, there’s a tutorial in my StitchyMites program.

Interfacing

Once your panels are assembled, its time to add the interfacing - wether you are using the fleece or QuiltLite. For the fleece you can just press the patchwork panel onto it following the manufacturers instructions - make sure that you don’t touch the bare fleece with your iron as the glue will make the iron plate sticky.

If you are using non-fusible interfacing, you can use basting spray to attach it to the back or thread or pin baste the pieces together. Make sure you are very secure with this so that the pieces don’t bag when quilting - there is no third layer to help stabilise things.

Tracing the Pattern

Last week we talked about how to cut your pattern sheets out from the master - you need to do that before you start quilting, as it will save you quite a lot of time in not having to quilt the entire panels, especially if you’re making smaller size.

Once you have pieced your panels together, and attached your chosen stabiliser, pin your pattern to the fabric or use pattern weights to hold it in place while you trace each pattern shape onto the fabric. If you haven’t ever made a garment before, some important things to know are:

The pattern pieces already have a 3/8” seam allowance included, so the line you are drawing if your CUTTING line. (Don’t cut the pieces out yet!) That means you can use something you can see easily, because any thats showing after you cut out will be inside the hoodie.

Don’t forget to reverse any relevant pieces. The hood sides you cut one with the pattern right side up, and one with it flipped over. The same for the sleeves. For the front and back pieces, you only trace around the outside edges, NOT up the middle!

Make sure and line the centre edge (the edge that says “fold”) up with the centre seam on the star for the front and back panels. Fold the sleeve template in half and line the centre of the star up with that too.

Quilting

Usually when you machine quilt something, you use a walking foot on your sewing machine, so that the three layers feed through the machine evenly. I didn’t use a walking foot to quilt these panels, the batting or fleece is so fine and there is no third layer, as the lining for the hoodie is attached in a seperate piece. I just used my usually sewing foot, a 2.5 stitch length and a normal sewing needle.

I machine quilted in an X shape onto the squares for my patchwork hoodie as Melly did, and I quilted in a diamond pattern for the vintage fabric hoodie. I have included some visuals as to how I did this in the video, using a ruler and a Hera marker to make my lines before quilting to make things quick and easy. If you are stopping and starting anywhere, make sure do do a lock stitch if your machine has one, or a little back and forth, to secure the ends of the thread so that you don’t have to sew them in afterwards. Lines outside the drawn patchwork shape you can just run off the edge, as they will be caught in the seams of the hoodie when its sewn together.

You don’t have to quilt your hoodie, but it gives the piece lovely texture, and it also helps to keep all that patchwork nice and stable once your body is inside the piece.

Different versions

Lots of questions about using vintage fabrics for this project! Simple answer is that you can use vintage fabric for anything you would use new fabric for, you just need to make sure that -

You WASH your fabric. I don’t wash fabric for patch generally, unless its a colour that I’m worried will run. Vintage fabric is another thing all together though because you don’t know where its been before it was yours :) Hand wash each piece in wool wash or similar and dry it on the line, especially for embroidery pieces treat it with a bit of love and respect. My vintage hoodie will be hand washed.

DO make sure that you take Melly’s advice and run a line of stitching around each piece, just inside the drawn line, or even take the extra step and use a zigzag or overlocker to make sure any embroidery thread on the edge of seams is stable. I did a double line of stitching because my overlocker is in for service :D

I also had a question about making the hoodie from wool blankets! Absolutely awesome idea - I would say though that I wouldn’t piece that too heavily as you will have a lot of lumpy seams, and also that I wouldn’t use any interfacing inside the hoodie, just a lining. But a wool appliqué version using my appliqué templates and a lovely checked vintage blanket would be GORGEOUS! Not to mention toasty.

If you are making the appliqué version of the hoodie that I am providing to my StitchyMites, there will be a post for you on WEDNESDAY on Smites with the templates for the words attached I am spelling quilter on my hoodie, if there is something else you want to spell please let me know and I’ll draw the letters for you (this is for StitchyMItes only - you can become a Smite member for $5 AUS a month at https://www.sarahfielke.com/stitchymites-info.

You will need your fabric pieces attached to your interfacing, your bias tape fabric or fusible bias tape and your appliqué fabric for this week. You absolutely could do this version with fusible appliqué and a machine blanket stitch, it does not have to be hand appliqué.

Feel free to ask me any questions via the comments section below the video, or by email! Please remember that I did NOT design this pattern, so if you have any issues with the pattern itself (I don’t think you will, its very well written and I have’t found any problems in making mine) please contact Melly via her website.

Have fun peeps and please feel free to join my Facebook group Sarah Fielke Quilts and post your hoody progress there! I usually don’t allow posts about other people's patterns in there as its just for people making my patterns, but this time is special! :) And I think everyone would love to see your hoodies coming together. Just search Sarah Fielke Quilts in your Facebook search bar, ask to join and then answer BOTH questions AND agree to the group rules for entry (the only way I can screen spam accounts.

Yay hoodies! I really hope to have one or even two finished for next week, I put my back out and wasn’t able to sit at the sewing machine so I’m not quite done with either of them!!

Sarah x